Are 2-in-1s Here to Stay?

In today’s digitising society, technology is enabling computer hardware to become ever more powerful and compact.

As gadgetry has shrunk, our time and ability to do more with it has gone off the charts; we can do our banking and shopping on the way to work, and still have time to squeeze in a half hour of Netflix before the train pulls in.

The 2-in-1 is a cutting edge manifestation of an ethos that has informed processes of efficiency since the dawn of time. One tool to take care of a multiplicity of jobs, saving the user time, money, space and energy.

The hybrid laptop can certainly achieve all this, so it’s understandable that this all-in-one IT hub is quickly gaining popularity among those who want to work and play anytime, anywhere.

What is a 2-in-1?

Laptops are still the best-sellers, but a screen fixed to a keyboard is a very pedestrian 90s beast in comparison with the flexibility users want in the 21st century. Today our lives are geared towards versatility, and 2-in-1s are the perfect complement.

A hybrid can come in one of two forms. Convertible 2-in-1s enable the laptop’s keyboard to fully hinge through 360 degrees and nestle beneath the touchscreen, thereby creating a tablet environment.

For detachable 2-in-1s, the tablet experience is authenticated, as the keyboard can be fully unclipped from the touchscreen. Both formats usually accommodate a half-way folding stage, whereby the keyboard creates the other side of a tent, and acts as a stand for the screen.

The benefits

These simple innovations enable an array of far reaching benefits to flourish, whether convertible or detachable units are in use. Most pertinently is the reduction in the number of gadgets in a user’s life: one fewer device to buy, keep safe, protect, charge and worry about.

Then the versatility hits home. Many people use a smartphone out and about, a tablet for lounge use and a laptop for work, but these three formats can morph and meld with a 2-in-1, which really trims the digi-fat from day-to-day life in a way that saves you money.

Travelling is where you really benefit from the flexibility attribute. Taking a flight is a notoriously time-consuming affair, but it can become a productive and entertaining experience with a 2-in-1; take care of a few work tasks with ease in the departure lounge, before using your tray-table to watch a movie when you’re in the sky.

The Dell Inspiron 3000 11.6” Touchscreen (£209.00) in electric blue is a wonderful entry level 2-in-1 for those looking for on-the-go office and entertainment opportunities. If it’s top level office work that offers ultra-lightweight portability, models in the Dell Latitude range (£600 +) at the other end of the market boast full detachability.

The gulf in prices illustrates the accessibility of 2-in-1s, and just how much money can be saved now that the technology is through early iterations. These are prices that will see users paying only fractionally more than laptops of the same power and capability.

Windows 10

A true sign of the hybrids ubiquity and social acceptance is the fact that Windows 10 was built with 2-in-1s in mind. This makes transforming your unit between tablet and laptop modes a smooth and simple process, while universal apps work fine in either world.

This factor shines in comparison with Android and iOS which can run into difficulty when multitasking and interfacing file systems that play fine on a smartphone, only to fall a bit flat when switching between web page games.

The final word

We’re in a touchscreen world now, but that doesn’t mean we want to compromise on the dextrous functionality that a keyboard grants. Today’s 2-in-1s are the perfect merging of these two requirements.

Unless you’re a hard-core gamer, these great pieces of kit are well worth looking at as an investment that will take your mobile computing needs into a fully flexible future.

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